alphitomancy

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noun

An Ancient Greek method of divination using barley meal, used for instance to reveal guilty parties; it entailed feeding a person or group barley meal, and judging those who felt no effects to be innocent, while judging those who felt indigestion to be guilty.

OriginAncient Greek ἀλφῐτόμαντις →
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Meanings

nounalphitomancy (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn Ancient Greek method of divination using barley meal, used for instance to reveal guilty parties; it entailed feeding a person or group barley meal, and judging those who felt no effects to be innocent, while judging those who felt indigestion to be guilty.

    Aleuromancy and alphitomancy were almost analogous processes; cakes were made of wheat or barley flour which could not be swallowed by anyone guilty of a given misdeed.

    1931, Lock translating de Givry Picture Museum of Sorcery

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀλφῐτόμαντις“diviner who used barley meal”
  2. Englishalphitomancy

From Ancient Greek ἀλφῐτόμαντις (alphĭtómantis, “diviner who used barley meal”), from ἄλφῐτον (álphĭton, “barley meal”) and μαντεία (manteía, “prophecy”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Italian alfitomanzia
  • alfitomanziaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

alphitomancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alphitomancy

MLA

“alphitomancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alphitomancy. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alphitomancy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alphitomancy.

Source: alphitomancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.